Margate Cemetery Birder

Thursday 25th February

After a somewhat slow start it picked up and turned out to be quite a good day, probably the best highlight was a rare February record of Brambling which was mixed in with a flock of 20 Chaffinches and 25 Goldfinches, there was a single Continental Coal Tit by the chapels, and a scattering of 8 Goldcrests around the cemo. A walk in the old paddocks produced a Stonechat and the first Common Buzzard of the year which headed west late on. Other bits included 4 Lesser Redpolls, 4 Siskin's, 1 Kestrel, 1 Meadow Pipit, 6 Mistle Thrushes, 3 Green Woodpeckers, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 1 Common Gull and a pretty decent count of 45 Magpies mainly around the Garden of Rest.

  

Sunday 21st February

Well today certainly didn't start off to well (unfortunately for the worst), when a Wood Pigeon smacked into a large Oak tree and broke its neck after being chased by a Sparrowhawk, good result for the latter i suppose but not good for the poor old pigeon. Any how it was nice to be out again, I couldn't find the Firecrest today but there was now 3 Continental Coal Tits which is a good record here these days which was with several Goldcrests, and a nice party of 15 Long-tailed Tits. There was also 2 Chiffchaff's including one singing bird and 6 Siskin's which showed very well feeding on the ground near the Garden of Rest. Bit unfortunate I'm without a camera at the moment but certainly wont be when spring arrives. Other bits today were 4 Green Woodpeckers, 3 Chaffinches, 8 Jackdaws, 3 Goldfinches with a couple of Skylarks and Mistle Thrushes.

Tuesday 16th February

Its been a very long time since my last blogging post and updates from the good old local patch, but hopefully as from today I will start again. Unfortunately there has been quite a lot of bad development on the site over the last few months, with the horse paddocks now been converted into farmland which is extremely disappointing with all the grass disappearing along with 90% of the fencing, and in truth will probably produce very little especially in the way of Wheatear's etc in the coming months. The cemo is pretty much bare of any decent habitat as this to has been desecrated by the local volunteer group. Anyway the highlights from the first visit of the new year produced a Firecrest by the main entrance, 2 Continental Coal Tits and 2 Mediterranean Gulls which headed west over the old paddocks, there was 4 Lesser Redpolls and 3 Siskins near the crematorium and 8 Goldcrests by the Dusky Thrush area. Other bits included a Sparrowhawk (with small kill), 2 Meadow Pipits, 3 Green Woodpeckers, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 8 Jackdaws and 25 Goldfinches. Its certainly going to be a tough area to watch now but even so not one to give up on yet, and it was nice to be out and about again.